Printing cylinder



July 19, 1932 s. J. MOLLET 1,867,861

PRINTING CYLINDER Original Filed Feb. 28, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR SWR v-WA Wm ATTORNEYS July 19 1932 s. J. MOLLET 1,867,861

PRINTING CYLINDER Original Filed Feb. 28, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNvENIoR 5 E :6J em l ATTORNEYS K 'Patented July 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE A SAMUEL J. MOLLET, OF MASSILLON, OHIO PRINTING CYLlNDER Original application filed February 28, 1929, lSerial No. 343,523. Divided and.v this application led June 27, 1930. Serial No. 464,157.

The present invention relates to a' form cylinder for printing presses and more particularly to a cylinder having a form composed of flexible vmaterial adapted to be wrapped tightly upon the peripheral surface of the cylinder and to the means lfor detachably securing such a form to the cylinder. n

The'present application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 343,523, filed Feb. 28, 1929, for printing presses'in which I have disclosed a printing press for printing large sheets such as used for printing roadside signs, the press being provided with large form and compression cylinders i between which the sheet is lfed in a straight line at a linear speed corresponding to the peripheral speed of the cylinders. f

The present invention has for its object to provide a form which may be wrapped about a printing cylinder and which may be made to closely conform to the cylindrical surface, together with means by which the form may be quickly and easily applied to the cylinder and drawn into snug engagement with the surface of the cylinder throughout its periphery.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention may be said to comprise the device as illustrated in the accompanying drawings hereinafter described and particularly set forth in the appended claim, together with such variations and modifications thereof as will be apparent to'one skilled in the art to which the invention appertains.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the printing cylinder showing operations of the compression cylinder and inking roller.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line indicated at 2 2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section on an enlarged scale through the recessed portion of the printing cylinder, showing the form tightening reel.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary end elevation of the form tightening reel.

In the accompanying drawings, a portion of the fra-me 1 of the machine is shown which two cylinders and to insure proper positionvsupports a printingcylinder 2, which is fixed I' to a transverse shaft 3 journaled at itsends in suitable bearing members mounted in the frame 1. The cylinder consists of a plurality of spaced spiders 4 fixed tothe shaft, the spiders being preferably formed in two sectionssecured together by bolts 5, the peripheral wall of the cylinder being composed of wooden slats'G, which abut edge to edge and which are suitably secured at their ends to thehrims offthe spiders 4. At one point in the peripheryvof the cylinder, one or more slats are omitted to vpro-vide a gap or recess 7; f 5

A form V8 is attached to the lperiphery, ofthe cylinder and preferably consists of a sheet of flexible and elastic material such as rubbery composition. A compression cylinder 9 is so mounted that its periphery engages the periphery of the printing-cylinder 135' and the compression cylinder is preferably of the same diameter as the printing cylinder and driven at the same peripheral speed, the compression cylinder being provided with a longitudinal recess 10 across its pef riphery, which registers with the recess 7 of` theprinting cylinder during rotation ofthe cylinders, as y'shown in Fig. 3.

The form 8 receives a coating of ink or paint from a lsuitable inlring roller 11, which applies a uniform coating to the surface of the form. Discs 12 are fixed to the shaft 3 and gears 13 which `mesh with similar gears onl the shaft of the compression cylinder are secured to the discs 12 by means of bolts 14 which pass through arcuate slots 15 vin the discs 12. By means of the bolt and slot connections, the gears 13 may be adjusted angurco i larly withv respect to the cylinder to insure proper revistry of recessed port-ions of the ing of the form with respect to the sheets being printed on. y

As shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the sheet to be printed upon is fed in a straight line between the cylinders by means of endless chains 16 which carry suitable'grippers 17 which'are so spaced on the endlesschains that they are received inthe recessesl() lof the compression cylinder during their passage ,be-

tween the cylinders. One end of the form 8 is secured in the recesses 7 so that this end of the form engages the end of the sheet as it is drawn between the cylinders, the form rolling on the surface of the sheet during its passage between the cylinders transfers a coating Aof ink or paint to the sign and 'prints the entire sign, which may be of a width and length corresponding to the width and length of the form.

As shown in Fig. 3, brackets 18 are attached to the rims of the spiders at opposite endsxof the cylinder within the gap or recess?, these brackets forming bearings for a shaft 19 which, between the brackets, is square in shape. The shaft 19 has an end 20 projecting outwardly through one of the brackets 18, the end of the shaft being squared to receive a suitable hand crank by which the shaft may be rotated. The projecting end of the shaft has a ratchet 21 fixed theretoand this ratchet is engaged by a pawl 22 pivoted to the bracket 18. The form 8 is provided with a vfabric back '23 which extends beyond one end of the composition body of the form. The entending fabric end is wound .upon the square shaft 19 which forms a reel for winding up the fabric and drawing the, Aform tightly against the surface of the cylinder throughout its periphery. rThe opposite .rend ofthe form is rigidly attached to the cylinder by suitable means such as nails 24 `driven into the slat at one edge of the recess 7. The

`ratchet 21 and pawl 22 serve to lock thev shaft 19 against rotation in the direction to unwind the fabric so that the desired tension may be put upon the form byV rotating the shaft in the direction to wind Vthe fabric thereon and this tension will be maintained during the operation of the press.

^ When it is desired to replace one form with l another the pawl 22 may be lifted out of en- Vgagement with the ratchet andthe shaft 19 turned until the fabric is released, whereupon tion as defined in the appended claim.

' What l ,claim is:

A form cylinder comprising spaced spiders and a peripheral portion formed of contigu- 4ous longitudinal wooden slats attached at their ends to said spiders, said slats being spaced apart at one portion ofthe lperiphery to provide a longitudinal gap, brackets carried by said spiders centrally of the gap, a shaft'journaled in said brackets, said shaft having ansquared portion betweensaid brackets and an end projecting outwardly from one of said brackets adapted tol receive acrank for turning the. shaft, a form composed of a flexible composition body and a fabric backing, one end of which projects beyond the body andfis adapted to be wound on the square portion of said shaftthe opposite end of the form being secured to the cylinder, and means for releasably locking said shaft against turning movement in a direction to unwind the fabric backing. f

In testimony'y whereof Ikafiix my signature.

SAMUEL J. MOLLET.

the form can be readily stripped from the cylinder. In applying a form to the cylinder,

one end is rigidly secured to the cylinder and vthe projecting fabric-atthe opposite end is wound upon the reel until sufficient tension is applied to the form to cause it to snugly engage vthe cylinder throughout its periphery.

The-form 8 has cut away portions v25 in the 'form of the letters or-characters of thesign to be printed and the entire surface of the form is coated with ink or paint by the roller 11, the coatingbeing transferred to the 'sur- A`face of the sheet being printed, except on the portions thereof registered with the cut-away 4portions 25 of the form. c

, It will be apparent that the' present invention provides a very simple and convenient means of mounting a form upon the printing cylinder which holds a 'form Vsecurely in 4place and which permits oneform to be 

